Chapter 23: Fisherman Battles


    ?


    After eating their fill, the fisherman ssmenced.


    Like always, Hex floated silently in the sky, mounted atop her strange mount that resembled a conch shell than any traditional mount.


    "Wee all regrs that have made their way into the fisherman ss!" Her voice boomed out, feeling especially strong and vigorouspared to her previous two sses.


    "Today, let''s go a small test instead of a normal ss." She continued.


    "The aim of this test is to be thest one standing. Starting now, you will all jump from pir to pir and make others fall off until there''s only 8 regrs left standing.


    "The only weapon you may use is the needle I have given you and the results of this test will have big results on the final assessment." Winston looked at the blood red needle that he and every other regr held in their hands.


    "Any questions?" Hex asked.


    Endorsi raised her hand on the far pir.


    "I have one! People could easily die if they fall from this ce! So is there any protection?" Endorsi asked.


    Hex nodded.


    "There is some protection, but it''s not too great. In fact, you could still injure yourself quite badly if you fall from the pir, which would mean that you wouldn''t be able to take the next tests and be at a disadvantage in the final assessment."


    Hearing her words, all the regrs sweatdropped.


    They''re being more cautious now that they know serious injuries are possible. Winston smiled and shook his head.


    Winston looked around and gauged the other regrs.


    There aren''t many that can jump the gap through sheer physical capacity. And shinsu body strengthening was only taught yesterday, meaning none of the regrs pose too much of a threat.


    As of now, only the princess duo can really pose a serious challenge, and even those can be defeated using all the collection of my beyonder powers. Winston scratched his chin in contemtion.


    But even for them, attacking me wouldn''t be a wise idea. Passing the test requires 8sting candidates, and failing can haverge repercussions.


    However, just then, a vision ovepped his senses. He saw himself get kicked forward by something that came crashing down towards him from the sky, a humanoid figure drappec in orange.


    Winston''s body tightened and he leaned back almost 130 degrees.


    Something passed above him, spreading along with it a gust of sharp wind that whistled in his ears. The objectnded onto the ground right before him, smashing right at the pir surface and kicking up some dust.


    Snapping back into standing position, Winston eyed the perpetrator warily, seeing someone he wasn''t quite expecting to see in thepetition.


    "What do I owe the pleasure, princess?" Winston smirked, seeing Endorsi walk out of the dust.


    "I just saw someone familiar heading towards you. So I decided to give you a heads up." Understanding what she meant, Winston turned around, seeing a Green skinned girl jump across the pirs andnd on his own.


    Winston''s smile widened.


    "Oh my... isn''t this quite unfair?" He eyed the two princesses.


    "Really? I don''t think so, after all, its a three way battle." Endorsi smirked. Then, she turned towards Anaak.


    "Is your IQ that of a lizard too? You would challenge me? A princess of Jahad?" She asked. Anaak scowled.


    "I''m specifically targeting you because you are a princess." Having said that, Anaak jumped into the air, leaping a whole 20 meters without too much effort. Then, with a swing of her hand she thrusted the needle towards Endorsi, only to hit empty air.


    Whooosh!


    Endorsi jumped back at thest moment, appearing some distance away from her.


    "Every time I see that symbol of Jahad on your head." Anaak smirked. "I just want to break you to pieces." Anaak turned back and red at Winston, her empty eyes appearing especially threatening.


    "Hey, you. I''ll deal with you afterwards. Stay there like a good boy." Her tone was transcendentally cold and unfeeling, almost appearing dead.


    Winston sighed.


    "Your all so full of yourselves." He scratched his head. "h h h, droning on and on about Jahad and being a princess or whatnot... You seem like a couple of kids that have been granted power they can''t control." For the first time, a re appeared on Winston''s face, his muscr control making his eyes appearing especially frightening.


    His muscles tightened up like a stressed string. "You call each other fake, but is there even a real princess of Jahad?" Having said that, Winston felt their emotions towards him turn chaotic, especially Endorsi.


    Winston sighed.


    "Your skills are sockluster, yet you im to be some sort of big shot. Should I be humbled in your presence? Oh please. It seems the criteria for choosing the princess has really eased their requirements for people like you to be princesses."


    And that was thest straw, Endorsi and Anaak dashed at him, their needles I''m position for a horrifying thrust that would pierce his entails and render him a vegetable.


    In both of their eyes, wrath lurked in such a primal form that it was even hard to describe. Such malevolence, such intentions of evil, were they in a single evil being then such an evil viin had never went unhung and his neck had never went clean.


    This was beyond simple meanness, for that could be found in the smallest of creatures. This was something different; pure desire to hurt the other party.


    Anaak thrusted with her needle, aiming for his abdomen. Winston turned his body, seemingly at an impossible degree and kicked out with his left leg hitting her right in the face.


    His leg caused a small sonic boom to appear as he kicked out and Anaak was thrown out


    directly.


    Wham! Crash!


    Endorsi circled around him and quickly engaged into a fist fight with him.


    Winston smirked at having found a great outlet for his abilities.


    A flurry of attacks followed through from both the sides, each hitting several times a second, their needles, fists and kicks being deflected.


    With the body control of a clown, dexterity increase from the Error Pathway sequence 9 and 8 and the Fool Pathway sequence 8, couple with the strength increase of his potions, each of his attacks left small sonic booms in their wake. Winston had, at one point, felt that his strength might be the equivalent of a Sequence 9 of the Red Preist Pathway, Hunter; who could also punch with a sonic boom.


    Endorsi, contrary to what he had previously imagined, turned out to be somewhat of apetent fighter. She seemed to have some sort of a danger sense, or something close to


    that at the very least.


    Her strength seems to be just a level above that of Anaak''s, though I can''t say for sure. All I have to work with is the one kick I gave her in the face.


    Just as he was thinking, he felt something approaching from behind.


    Without any wait, he jumped into the air, right onto another pir. Looking back, he saw the two step sisters engaging in a battle, their needles ruthlessly stabbing out at each other. Then, Endorsi jumped towards his pir. Winston looked towards the previous upant of the pir, feeling somewhat sorry for the man.


    Boom!


    Crash!


    Wham!


    Shaaaaa!


    They jumped across from pir to pir, trapped in a three way lock, their needles zing towards each other with dozens of kick and punches being thrown. With his sense of intuition, none of the attacks were able to hit Winston at all, simply brushing past him or being avoided


    all together.


    Many of the regrs fell as they moved across the arena, shing from pir to pir in a


    constant state of frenzy. It was the first time since arriving in the tower, save for the time with the White Steel Eel, that Winston was actively engaging himself in a somewhat engaging fight. A smirk marred his face as he dodged through the attacks and hit the princesses with a punch to the gut, or perhaps a kick to the face.


    All this while, they grew increasingly angry. Endorsi''s eyes even shed a bit of red, arge


    streak of red across her cheeks from her anger.


    "Dammit!" Anaak yelled. "Why can''t I hit you!"


    "Stay still!" Endorsi yelled alongside her.


    Winston smirked.


    "I don''t know man... sounds a bit like skill issue." Indeed. Winston was also well suited for a


    beyonder of the Red Priest Pathway.


    Both of their faces shed redder, appearing more like the faces of two demons than the


    young girls that they looked to be before.


    Their attacks sped up, loosing their small amounts of finesse that they still had going for


    them.


    Seizing control of the opportunity, Winston ducked, avoiding the needle that brushed past his hair. Then, he embedded his palm right into Anaak''s stomach, causing her to spit her saliva.


    Auuurghh!


    Anaak flew backwards, her figure crashing right into another pir.


    Then, before Endorsi could get the chance to react, he punched towards her face.


    Endorsi, in a surprising burst of speed blocked his blow with her arms, and just like Anaak, she


    slipped backwards.


    "Aurgh! What is that abnormal strength!?" Sheined.


    "Does it befit a princess to whine like that when you meet someone stronger?" Winston raised


    a brow, chuckling as he did so. "You''ve grown too ustomed to fighting weaker opponents


    it seems. You are unable to even cope up with the fact that someone might be stronger than


    you." He shook his head.


    Endorsi clenched the needle in her hand.


    Then, she pointed it towards him.


    "You!" She said.


    Winston didn''t say anything, simply smiling.


    Before Endorsi could reply, they heard someone behind them speak up.


    "Oi!" Anaak yelled from the edge of the pir.


    Winston ignored her, opting to take a look over towards the regrs. There were a total of 9


    regrs still left, meaning one had go be thrown down still.


    "Physically stronger you said?!" Anaak yelled, this time, Winston looked at her with a raised


    eyebrow.


    He tapped his thumb and ring finger together twice, activating his spirit vision. However, as he did so, his eyes widened in surprise and a massive smile adorned his face.


    "Shinsu strengthening? You can already use it?" He asked to no one in particr.


    "I''ll show you the gap between us!" she yelled and looked at Endorsi. "And you too!" Having said that, she extended her leg backwards and took a running stance.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And then, without any dy, she dashed out, her body gaining speed like a bullet shot from a


    gun.


    Winston''s eyes widened a bit, seeing her speed elevated to such a degree.


    Then, he smirked.


    With a though and concentrating his spirituality, he cast a speel of the Trickmaster potion,


    Tumble!


    The ground beneath Anaak instantly turned slippery, making her slip and tumble towards the direction of Endorsi.


    Endorsi, who would have dodged otherwise closed her eyes momentarily, seeing a bright


    sh of light whip past her eyes.


    Trickmaster spell: Light!


    With that, Anaak Jahad mmed right into Endorsi Jahad, taking then both off of the


    tform.


    "Aaaaaah! You damn lizard! What do you think you''re doing!" "Can''t you hold me you stupid freaky eyed jerk! What are you doing!"


    Both of them yelled at each other as they fell down towards the ground underneath.


    Winston shook his head, amused by their antics.


    In the air, Hex also shook her head.


    "What are those two doing..." She put a hand on her mask, feeling a bit unsure about her


    initial judgement of the two princesses.


    "Well, Winston performed great anyway. I''ll just give him some bonus points." She muttered


    at the end.


    A/N: I think Klein as a Clown was able to punch fast enough for it to break the sound barrier by


    himself. And with the overall physical increase through the other potions, it should be fair for all his attacks to hit at the speed of sound.


    Anyway, I started re reading the entire first lotm book... yeah.


    Also, throw some stones.


    Cheers~